Suggestions, plz, to get boot-drive up and running again?!?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Susan B.
  • Start date Start date
S

Susan B.

Hi,
I'm running WinXPpro+sp2. My sole internal hard drive failed; with
repeated applications of chkdsk, I was able to regain a limited dos-view
of the entire disk (via the "r" option when you boot winXP from the
original install disc).
I can copy and delete files from this mode, and make new
directories. Yet in spite of the fact that I can cruise through the
entire disk now via crippled-DOS, I cannot boot into Windows (I get the
msg "You can attempt to ... Select 'r' at the first screen to repair).

Most of my data is backed up via Retrospect to another hard drive,
but a couple of recent key data are in limbo. I'm bummed.

How might I best approach this? I have heard that there are great
utilities for addressing this situation, but what are they?

I have only one idea, and would /really/ appreciate your feedback:
I could install windows on my external (via USB) drive, and hope to be
able to then grab data from my internal drive. Or, similarly (?), buy
another internal HD and install to that, then move data as needed.

So, what are good approaches to this? Might there be something simple I
can do, given that I can "see" my data, perhaps aided by software for this?

Note that I have no internal floppy drive, only one via UBS, which I
found constrains my options.

Many, many thanks for any help!

Sue
 
Did you test the drive (using the drive mfg's software) to see if it is
defective? No use trying to get Windows to work if the drive is physically
bad.

--
 
Susan B. said:
Hi,
I'm running WinXPpro+sp2. My sole internal hard drive failed; with repeated
applications of chkdsk, I was able to regain a limited dos-view of the entire disk
(via the "r" option when you boot winXP from the original install disc).
I can copy and delete files from this mode, and make new directories. Yet in
spite of the fact that I can cruise through the entire disk now via crippled-DOS, I
cannot boot into Windows (I get the msg "You can attempt to ... Select 'r' at the
first screen to repair).

Most of my data is backed up via Retrospect to another hard drive, but a couple
of recent key data are in limbo. I'm bummed.

How might I best approach this? I have heard that there are great utilities for
addressing this situation, but what are they?

I have only one idea, and would /really/ appreciate your feedback:
I could install windows on my external (via USB) drive, and hope to be able to then
grab data from my internal drive. Or, similarly (?), buy another internal HD and
install to that, then move data as needed.

So, what are good approaches to this? Might there be something simple I can do,
given that I can "see" my data, perhaps aided by software for this?

Note that I have no internal floppy drive, only one via UBS, which I found
constrains my options.

Many, many thanks for any help!

Sue
Click to expand...

Aside from checking the integrity of the HD with a diagnostic utility obtained from
the manufacturers support site,

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
 
Assuming the drive is defective. Stop using the PC.
Install a new drive, disconnect old, install win and your apps.
Connect old as slave, recover data from old.
If PC wont boot because of the old drives failure, when connected as slave.
Install old drive in external usb case and try from there.
 
Hi Dave,
Thank you for the query. Given that I can "see" the data from a
crippled-DOS perspective, what exactly are you asking? FWIW, I don't
know yet who manufactured the disk, but did run it through Dell's
diagnostics (they put together the PC that has the HD). The HD-test
failed miserably the first time out. My partner, yet another "Dave B",
and also a former MVP (Excel), with a real attitude towards Windows (he
prefers Macs), had the idea to try CHKDSK repeatedly on the
malfunctioning HD, and by gosh, it has brought us a long ways, so that
now we can access, file-by-file, seemingly anything on the disk.

In response to your appreciated post, I just ran Dell's suite of HD
tests, and now it passes, unlike before (my) Dave B. suggested repeated
CHKDSK's. So, does that mean the drive is still "physically bad"? How,
with these symptoms, might that be the case, as opposed, say, to Windows
and the aps that were running having just simply screwed up?!?

As it now stands, I feel like I am so close to pulling this all
together, but just don't know how best to proceed. I see this, in a
perverse sort of way, as an opportunity to get a fresh, clean setup; I
wasn't able to talk Dell into simply selling me a clean machine, sans crap.

In short: the drive seems to pass your desideratum, I want to get
windows up and running on my computer, and I want access to the drive's
data. What to do?!?

Many TIA
Sue B.
 
Hi Brian,
Thank you very much. I think I was able to follow through with Dave B.'s
suggestion (well, I didn't use a test suite from the unknown-to-me HD
manufacturer, but rather one from Dell).

Do you have a sense of what an "in-place installation of Windows" will
actually do to my overall system? E.g., I DO NOT want to lose my e-mail
info, and ideally would like to avoid having to reinstall all of my aps
until I have had a chance to reassess the whole shebang.

TIA
Sue B.

Note - there are (at least) two "Sue B"'s posting for help here. What
can I say, but that I am not the other? So to distinguish us, I'll sign
off with my partner's surname, hence

Sue Braden

Thanks!!!
 
Yikes!
Thanks DL; that advice is as laconic as possible :-). I don't quite
follow you on lines 4 and 5. My situation is that the PC won't boot
because of "the old drive's failure". So you are suggesting that I put
in a fresh physical drive as my boot drive, and either slip my current
HD into a secondary internal spot, or a USB-connected case. What in the
world difference would it make, as far as system logic goes (i.e.,
excluding data transfer rates) if the drive were connected as a USB
device or as a secondary internal?

Also--- given that I can now apparently "see" all of my files via DOS,
can you recommend any software that might get things right "in-place"?

Thanks!
Sue Braden
 
Susan B. said:
Hi Brian,
Thank you very much. I think I was able to follow through with Dave B.'s suggestion
(well, I didn't use a test suite from the unknown-to-me HD manufacturer, but rather
one from Dell).
Click to expand...

The BIOS should have the make/model of the HD most likely under Drive Configuration
or similar name.
Do you have a sense of what an "in-place installation of Windows" will actually do
to my overall system? E.g., I DO NOT want to lose my e-mail info, and ideally would
like to avoid having to reinstall all of my aps until I have had a chance to
reassess the whole shebang.
Click to expand...

An "In place upgrade/install" reinstalls the OS over the top of the existing OS
leaving all of your apps/folders/files intact with the exception of MS Updates which
must all be reinstalled. However since you have an OEM system you may lose some
data/files although you should be able to recover them from your backup. Another way
to retain the data/files is explained in the articles.

For info on Repair Installs on OEM systems:
You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312369/

Data loss occurs after you reinstall, repair, or upgrade Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312368/EN-US/


--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
 
You still need to run the hd manufacturers test utility, do not rely on Dell
one.
If it reports any errors, replace the Disk

What an inplace installation does depends exactly on the Dell interpretation
of this, you should check Dell support site.
 
If the PC wont boot because of drive failure, replace the drive,
disconecting old drive whilst installing win and apps
Only reconnect old drive once PC up and running, and updated.
(ensure any drive jumpers are correctly set)
Sometimes a faulty drive prevent win from booting, even if that drive is not
the boot drive.
When connected via usb its an external device that you can plugin after win
has booted.
 
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